Voodo: Puppet master

# VOODOO — Chapter 6: The Sword That Shook the Guard · Two years after escaping the Obsidian Circle and destroying its headquarters, Voodo has claimed Vesper Hex’s mansion as his own. With Vesper’s soul trapped inside an enchanted doll, he orders her to maintain the mansion, organise the magical library and show him its collection of artefacts. Although Vesper complains about her new position, Voodo reminds her that she is now his servant. While he is not fighting, Voodo wears ordinary dark clothes and his long purple-black cloak, keeping his terrifying battle armour and helmet nearby for when he needs them. · Meanwhile, the surviving members of the Obsidian Circle—Stargrave, Nullbyte, Volt Reign, Red Talon, Black Static and Dead Meridian—are furious about the destruction of their headquarters. Each vows to hunt Voodo down and take revenge on the former prisoner who has become their greatest enemy. · Elsewhere, in an abandoned district, a mysterious sword master named Zareuri searches through discarded belongings. A shadowy figure approaches her and asks whether she wants to kill Voodo. Zareuri agrees immediately and demands to know where she can find him. The figure promises that she will learn his location soon, leaving their identities and intentions concealed. · At the Nexus Guard headquarters, the eight heroes are relaxing and eating pizza when Aegis-9, whose real name is Elias Ward, storms into the room with disturbing news. He announces that Voodo has returned. Elias remembers encountering him at a casino two years earlier and explains that Voodo has destroyed the Obsidian Circle's headquarters. Initially, the other heroes celebrate the destruction of their enemies' base, but Elias warns them that Voodo remains an extremely dangerous threat. · Before the team can discuss the situation further, their headquarters begins to shake violently. Zareuri has arrived at the entrance, slamming her glowing sword into the ground. The Nexus Guard activate their equipment and prepare for battle, but they underestimate her, believing that a single sword fighter cannot defeat their entire team. · They soon discover how wrong they are. Zareuri demonstrates extraordinary swordsmanship, wielding a weapon infused with mysterious energy capable of deflecting attacks and disrupting the heroes' powers, shields and magic. One by one, she defeats all eight members of the Nexus Guard. Although the heroes are badly injured, Zareuri deliberately leaves them alive. · After the battle, Zareuri searches the headquarters and discovers a hidden compartment inside a pillar. She presses a sequence of buttons, opening the compartment as strange mist pours out. Inside lies a small, mysterious crystal. She removes it and inserts it into her sword, causing the weapon to surge with even greater power. Runebreak senses something deeply dangerous about the crystal but cannot identify it or explain its purpose. · With her objective accomplished, Zareuri declares, “Ciao, Guards,” before using the energy of her sword to launch herself into the sky and disappear. The defeated heroes are left struggling to recover. Quartz orders the security recordings to be retrieved, determined to discover who attacked them and why. · Zareuri later meets the same shadowy figure who recruited her. She reveals the crystal embedded in her sword, and the figure confirms that the next stage of their plan can begin. Zareuri expresses her hope that Voodo will survive long enough for her to meet him. The crystal bears a strange symbol, suggesting that its significance extends far beyond the Nexus Guard headquarters. · Back at Vesper's mansion, Voodo sits in his library wearing his ordinary dark clothes and long purple-black cloak. His battle armour and helmet rest nearby, ready for his next confrontation, while Vesper's enchanted doll watches him from the desk. A distant alarm sounds, signalling that something significant has happened. · Voodo raises his head, intrigued rather than frightened. · “Interesting. Someone's making a move.” · As the chapter ends, several forces are preparing to confront Voodo. The surviving Obsidian Circle wants revenge, the Nexus Guard must investigate their mysterious defeat, and Zareuri is preparing for a confrontation with the powerful villain. Above them all, an unidentified figure is orchestrating events from the shadows, while the purpose of the mysterious crystal remains unknown.